


Crossroads

by CherryHearts13



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-21
Updated: 2014-05-21
Packaged: 2018-01-25 22:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1665314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherryHearts13/pseuds/CherryHearts13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His life was planned out even before he was born. Rather than fighting it, he accepted it. He would attend the Academy, graduate the top of his class, rise through the ranks, and take over as head of the Uchiha those plans were shot to hell when he was assigned a mission with a demonic redhead, a happy-go-lucky idiot, and a girl who made him question everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Mission

Growing up as the heir of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku had no time for frivolous endeavors. His father expected the very best of him. No... his father expected him to be far superior to all those around him. He had to outshine his classmates at the Academy. He had to be the model Uchiha. He had to obey the Clan Head's – his father's – every command without question. He... he could write a book... no not a mere book... He could write an entire series of all the things that were expected of him as the Uchiha Heir. With such high expectations, he never got around to making friends or forming bonds outside of the clan.

Today was just another one of those days were his father made more plans for the future of the clan. More specifically, more plans for his future. When he had left the district early that morning to go training, his father had told him to report back in time for breakfast.

He let out a sigh as the large wooden gates to the Uchiha District came into view. Another thing that had always bothered him was the fact that it seemed as if the clan was shut off from the rest of the village, although he never put much thought into it.

The dark haired teen's footsteps were silent as he walked through the gates that always seemed to be opened. As he made his way towards the Uchiha Manor, he was greeted by warm smiles from the women, silent nods from the men, stares of admiration from the girls, and slight scowls from the boys. Finally reaching the entrance to his home, he entered through the back door, removed his shoes, and quickly made his way to the kitchen.

As he neared the dining room, he could vaguely make out his father's voice along with two others his didn't recognize. Upon entering the room he was greeted by the sight of his father and three others sitting around the table that was only used for special occasions.

His father – whom everyone said he was the spitting image of – sat at the head of the table. The man looked more relaxed than usual as he spoke to the man who had taken a seat to his left.

He recognized the man as Uchiha Takumi. The man had his straight shoulder length black hair and dark eyes much like the rest of the clan. His skin held a warm tan much like Fugaku's, and he wore the traditional uniform of Chunin and Jonin, the only difference was on the sleeves of his shirt where it had the police force symbol rather than the Uzumaki crest. If Fugaku remembered correctly, the man was of Jonin status. He even tried enlisting in the ANBU, but was rejected when he failed to meet the requirements or impress the Sandaime with his skills and ended up working for the police force instead. The man was also quite proud and was quick to lose his temper. He was also one of the strongest members of the clan, and was almost on equal terms as his father.

Sitting beside Takumi was his wife Hikaru. The woman was every bit like her name. She was radiant. Her long black hair flowed down her back in soft curls, and her dark eyes seemed to shine even in the dim lighting of the dining room. Her lavender colored kimono seemed to shift with every movement of her body, and like the majority of the women of the Uchiha Clan, she was tall.

Sitting opposite the woman was another figure he acknowledged as Uchiha Shizuka, the daughter of Takumi and Hikaru. Shizuka took more after her father in looks and personality than she did her mother. She wore her black hair up in a tight bun held in place by two senbon, and her eyes held the same cold and distant look as her father's. She was a loyal member of the clan and was of Chunin rank. She was tall like her mother and wore a light blue dress that reached about mid-thigh. Fugaku would be stupid to not consider the girl attractive.

When he had left the manor at five that morning, he was slightly confused as to why his father stressed her be home on time for breakfast which was always served at seven. As soon as his eyes landed on Shizuka, he knew why it was so important he be on time.

"Ah Fugaku, take a seat," his father stated motioning the seat to his left, which also happened to be the seat next to Shizuka.

The next hour passed in a flurry of conversation and preparations. Fugaku and Shizuka's engagement party was to be held in six months from then, and their wedding was to take place sometime in early to mid-January. All other things discussed were lost on Fugaku. He didn't care for flower arrangements or cakes or anything to do with planning those two events in particular, and decided to leave those decisions up to his fiancé and her mother.

***

Fugaku calmly walked down the path towards the Missions Office. His hands were tucked deeply into the pockets of his pants. He was hoping to be sent out on another mission to pass the time; if only to get away from all the planning and congratulations from the other members of his clan. It was a strange thing for him to be the center of attention for something that really didn't mean anything – to him at least. I suppose marriage is something to celebrate, he thought distantly with a mental shrug.

It was at that moment as he rounded the corner that he collided with a solid object. Said solid object fell down on the dusty sidewalk with an 'ooff' while the Uchiha remained standing. He looked down and the only thing that came to his mind was red.

Sprawled out on the ground before him was a girl about the same age he was. She wore a simple pale yellow short-sleeved yukata that reached about mid-thigh with black spandex shorts underneath. Black ninja sandals stretched up and over her knees. Her bright red Uzumaki red hair was spread out around her.

"Sorry I wasn't looking where I was going," the girl apologized, looking up at the boy. He had shoulder length black hair and dark eyes. He had a nice tan from what she could tell. He wore dark gray pants, black ninja sandals, and a white short-sleeved shirt under a black jacket.

"Hn," Fugaku merely grunted before walking around her not even bothering to help or acknowledge her. His body stiffened as he felt a spike of deadly chakra coming from behind him. Slowly he turned his head around and was met with the sight of a fuming redhead.

The girl felt anger coursing through her veins at the way the boy had treated her. It was only polite to help someone up especially if he was the one to knock that someone down in the first place. She felt her eye twitch in annoyance as the stranger merely turned his head to look back at her with a bored expression on his face. Her right hand formed a fist out of rage. Just as she was about to hit him, he jumped out of the way, landing on the rooftop of some random building before leaping away. That ASSHAT!

"Uh... Kushina, are you okay," the voice of her best friend asked the redhead. Then it added, "Your hair is doing that thing again." By that thing, the newcomer meant that Kushina's hair was flying around like the nine tails of the fox she held prisoner within the seal on her stomach.

Calming down, the redhead let out a few deep breaths before turning around to face her best friend. "I'm calm now, but if I see that asshat again... he's so gonna get it, dattebane!" She exclaimed the last part while thrusting a fist in the air. "So did you get me a smoothie, Miko-chan?"

"Here," Miko-chan, better known as Mikoto Uchiha, said as she handed the cup filled with the pink strawberry-banana smoothie topped with whipped cream and strawberry pieces to the redhead. Mikoto had soft creamy skin and dark eyes that appeared to be black. She wore her long ebony hair tied up in a high ponytail with her bangs framing her face. Like Kushina, she proudly wore her Konoha forehead protector over her forehead. She wore a long sleeved purple shirt with wide sleeves and a black vest over it with the Uchiha crest on the back along with black spandex shorts and the standard black ninja sandals.

"You're the best, ttebane," Kushina exclaimed. As she was about to take a sip of the drink she paused and stared at her friend. "Did they make it with yogurt or ice cream?"

"Ice cream," Mikoto replied with a smirk. She held up her own cherry-mango smoothie and took a sip. "The guy assumed I wanted yogurt since it has less fat and is the healthier option of the two. I made him make them again and he even added an extra scoop of ice cream."

"You make me so proud, dattebane," the red haired girl stated while wiping a few imaginary tears. "Now let's go see that old man and get ourselves a mission!"

The two girls linked arms as they enjoyed their sweet treat and made their way in the direction of the Hokage Tower. As they walked they passed by a white haired ninja who was bent over at the waist trying to look through a hole in a wooden fence he had created. The wooden fence belonged to Konoha's hot springs and just so happened to be the one that blocked off the women's section.

The white haired ninja was rather large compared to most others. He wore a pair of gray pants that cut off a few inches away from his ankles with mesh armor that extended down to his ankles underneath, a gray kimono-like top with light green lining with mesh armor underneath as well and a pair of wooden sandals. His uncontrollable spiky white hair was tied into a ponytail at the nape of his neck with hair framing his face. Two red lines – which he sometimes referred to as tears of blood – extended from his eyes.

A giggle, that could only be described as perverted, escaped the man's throat as he widened his right eye in hopes of expanding his area of view through the little hole.

An exasperated sigh escaped the lips of the boy who stood behind the white haired man. His skin was sun kissed and his deep blue eyes sparkled as he caught sight of something red in the distance. His spiky hair was a bright sunshine yellow. He wore a mesh armor shirt underneath an unzipped white jacket that had three green stripes running down the sleeves, a pair of black pants and black ninja sandals.

"Sensei, I don't think it's a good idea to be spying on the girls," the blond boy stated, looking over at his sensei with worry etched into his features. "I-"

"Kid, you worry too much," Jiraiya stated with a grin as he waved off his student's warnings, not bothering to look away from the women on the other side.

"JIRAIYA," a deadly voice called out to the man from behind. He turned around to be greeted by the sight of his female teammate. Tsunade Senju stood behind him with a look that promised certain death. As he walked towards the blonde haired beauty with a smirk on his face he was greeted by a dainty fist that packed a powerful punch that launched him to the entrance gates of the village. Whoever was stuck with gate duty that day was in for an awful surprise.

Minato looked at the fuming blonde haired woman. "I think..." he glanced in the direction Jiraiya had flown, "I think I'm gonna go see if there are any missions available." With that, he made his way towards the Missions Office.

Once he reached the Missions Office, he was surprised by the commotion. He saw his teammate, Mikoto, restraining his enraged girlfriend, Kushina. He couldn't make out the exact words coming out of the girl's mouth, but he knew that whatever it was is didn't sound all to pleasant. He then followed the gaze of the fuming redhead to where it was directed at a third figure in the room. He recognized the boy as his former classmate Fugaku Uchiha. Fugaku didn't seem like he noticed that there was an angry redhead screaming death threats directed at him. It was either that or he just simply didn't care. From what Minato knew of the other boy, he believed it to be the latter.

"Kushina," he called out, hoping to calm her down.

The redhead snapped her head in his direction. "What do you want, you sissy?!"

Minato blanched.

Sitting behind a desk at the front of the room, the Sandaime had the best seat to watch the drama unfold. He removed the wooden pipe from his mouth and released several puffs of smoke in the form of rings. He picked up a scroll for a B-ranked mission. Quickly scanning its contents, he nodded to himself.

"Silence," Sarutobi ordered causing the ninja before him to fall in line. The four stood side by side, about a foot apart from each other, giving the man their undivided attention. He nodded. "Just off the coast of Wind Country and Tea Country there is an island nation known as the Land of Sun. Over the last few months, there have been some rumors about a potential assassination on the Sun Daimyo's daughter. Luckily, Ryou-sama has kept his daughter hidden from the public eye. One of you will have to pose as the princess until the threat is neutralized. No one other than the Daimyo is to know of your identities. You will report straight to him and no one else. Your mission will be complete when the princess' life is no longer in danger. This mission can last from anywhere between six days to six months. After the six months have passed ,and no progress had been made, the mission will be over whether or not the threat is neutralized. I have no doubt in my mind that you will not fail. Pack your things; you will leave in two hours. Don't disappoint me. Dismissed."


	2. Are We There Yet

Naturally, the Uchiha was the first one to arrive at the village gates, a full thirty minutes before their agreed departure time, after they had been assigned their mission. The blond haired Namikaze was the second to arrive, ten minutes after the black haired teen. The second Uchiha of the group walked up to the gate five minutes after her teammate. It wasn’t until twenty minutes after their agreed time that the three saw a bobbing head of red hair in the distance.

“You’re late,” was the first thing out of Fugaku’s mouth when the redheaded girl was within hearing range. He stared at the Uzumaki with a look of annoyance. He had only met the girl barely two hours ago, and already he had a very low opinion of her. She was loud, obnoxious, hotheaded, and… well the list could go on and on, but he could now add her bad sense of timing to that list. No matter, he only needed to get through this one mission with her, and then after that he was surly to never see her again. Konoha had a surplus of more competent, much more competent, ninja to assure that.

“Whatever grouch,” Kushina snapped as she adjusted the straps of her backpack on her shoulders. She only just met the heir of her best friend’s clan and she already wanted to rip his throat out with her bare hands… that or unleash the power of the Kyuubi on him. The Uchiha heir was the epitome of arrogant and it seemed like he had a pole lodged up his ass.

Minato and Mikoto shared a look. The blond of the group walked over to his girlfriend and coaxed the fiery girl to back down before things could get out of hand. He then grabbed her by the wrist and calmly led her out of the village gates and into the trees where they began what was going to be a long journey to Tenpi no Kuni – the Land of Sun.

Mikoto and Fugaku silently followed along behind them. The dark haired girl let out a sigh, falling into step with Fugaku as they jumped from tree to tree of the forest surrounding their village. At first, she had been excited at the prospect of going on a mission with her loud best friend, but now, more than ever, she just wanted to get everything over and done with. She loved Kushina like a sister, but her standing within the Uchiha clan was not a good one due to her upbringing, and she didn’t know what she would do if she was forced to take sides when Kushina and Fugaku got into a verbal or physical fight. It wouldn’t do for her to get on the future Clan Head’s bad side, but she also didn’t want to lose her best friend. Mikoto was at a loss, she just hoped she never had to choose because if she did, someone would feel betrayed.

Looking up, Mikoto saw the reassuring smile of her blond teammate. She could see the promise to help her get through the mission and survive his girlfriend’s and the Uchiha heir’s dispute written in his deep blue eyes. She gave him a smile in return, silently thanking him for always having her back.

“From here on out, we should travel at full speed,” Minato called out to the group, “We'll reach the port town by evening. That way we can spend the night in the port town and then catch the first boat of the day tomorrow morning.” He looked to the others over his shoulder. “It’ll actually put us ahead of schedule by a day.”

A few hours, a twenty-minute lunch break, a few five-minute breaks, and a whole lot of arguments between Fugaku and Kushina later, true to Minato’s word, the group of four made it to the small port town by seven that evening. Although, if Kushina and Fugaku had managed to get along, they would have made it before the last ship departed at five-thirty, and that would have put them an extra half day ahead of schedule.

The port town was fairly small. Shops and houses were situated further up on the hill, away from the coastline to avoid flooding. Down the slope of the hill along the coastline were the docks with boats rocking in the gentle waves.

The blond looked haggard and worn. His bright blue eyes seemed to dim and his spiky sunshine colored hair was looking a little flat. He had been voted the unofficial captain of the group, mainly because his redheaded girlfriend refused to take orders from the Uchiha heir without any arguments or snide remarks and he wanted to keep the peace, or a semblance of it, within the group. He loved Kushina but the girl could be very… opinionated and never failed to make her opinions well known even if it meant screaming them in or punching someone’s face to get her point across.

He let out a sigh as he looked at the other three. Fugaku had been silent, aside from a few shared insults with the redhead, for the entire trip to the port. He didn’t know what to make of him. He had never worked with the Uchiha Heir before now, but he would have to find a way to get Kushina to cooperate for the sake of the mission. Mikoto on the other hand was nervous and somewhat jittery, a far cry from the calm and confident girl that she was. He knew the reason behind her actions. She was afraid to make a bad impression on the man who would one day be her clan leader. He knew every single detail of her situation with the clan. Even though he didn’t like it, he didn’t have the power, or the right, to change it. Even if he became Hokage, he didn’t have any say in what the Uchiha did considering they had their own form of government. Maybe he could befriend the boy and hopefully he… he didn’t know what he could do. All he really could do, was keep Kushina from killing the Uchiha boy and keep Mikoto from leaving a bad impression on him.

Clearing his throat, he got the attention of the others. “Mikoto, Fugaku you two search for a place for us to stay while Kushina and I find somewhere to eat.” As Kushina was about to protest, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her away, leaving Fugaku and Mikoto alone for the first time.

“Minato,” Kushina purred when the blond let go of her after they had lost sight of their teammates. “You know I love you, but you’re an idiot! How could you leave Miko-chan with that bastard?”

“Kushina,” Minato replied exasperated. “Mikoto can take care of herself.”

“No she can’t,” the Jinchuriki cried. “She a sweet little angel and he’s a dastardly demon! He will crush her spirit!”

“If she could hear you right now, her spirit would be crushed,” Minato stated, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked down at the worked up girl before him. When she gave him a confused look, he explained his reasoning. “Her own best friend doubting her abilities and saying she can’t even take care of herself.”

“I didn’t mean it like-“

“I know what you meant, but you need to have faith in her,” he said soothingly, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. “This could possibly be her only chance to make a good impression on him. He's going to be the head of the clan one day. If she can get on his good side and prove herself to him, then maybe things will get better for her.”

“I just don’t like it,” she sighed in defeat, bringing her hands up to grip his wrists. “She shouldn’t have to prove herself to anyone, least of all him. Then again, who am I to talk? It took you rescuing me from those Kumo-nin to stop seeing you as weak and unreliable.” Giving a long-suffering almost painful sounding groan she said, “I guess I can try to play nice... for Mikoto’s sake. I’m not giving any guarantees that I’ll get along with him, but I will try.”

“That's all I ask,” Minato said with a smile.

“I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for Mikoto. I don’t even like you that much,” Kushina said before she walked away to find a good restaurant that offered takeout.

Minato, on the other hand, slowly lowered himself to a sitting position bringing his knees to his chest. He felt as if a little black rain cloud had suddenly appeared over his head as he sulked beneath the could of despair.

Turning around, the redhead saw her depressed boyfriend sitting crouched in a sulking position and sweat dropped. She could see the little cloud of despair hovering over his head. “Minato you pansy!” she called out. A flash of lightning struck. Oh, wow. “C’mon lover, we have to go get food!” At that, his cheerful disposition came back as the rain cloud was replaced by a sun.

On the other side of the small port town, the two Uchiha worked to find a good place to spend the night. They walked side by side in relative silence, although Mikoto would occasionally fall a few steps behind as she tried to keep up with the boy's larger strides. She watched the future leader of her clan from the corner of her eye. She knew he must have known she was watching him, but that didn’t stop her.

The dark haired girl had to admit that the Uchiha heir was rather good looking. Good looking was an understatement. He was… she couldn’t exactly put into words. She envied the woman who would one day marry him. Wait, what am I thinking? He’s the future clan head. H e wouldn’t waste his time with someone the clan barely tolerates. She watched her feet as she walked. I’m such a fool! I’m nothing compared to the other girls in the clan. I shouldn’t be so hard on myself. If Kushina herd what I was thinking, she would throw a fit like last time. She gave an involuntary shiver just thinking of what the redhead might do.

Fugaku stared at the ebony haired girl with a raised eyebrow. Sometime during their walk, she had ended up walking in front of him, taking the lead. Though he would never admit it aloud, he kind of found the girl attractive but he would never act upon it, considering he had his fiancé back home. He didn’t know why, but he found himself comparing the two girls. Mikoto’s features were soft and rounded while Shizuka’s were sharp and angular. Shizuka was tall at about five foot eight inches while Mikoto was about five foot four inches – four inches shorter than the former. Shizuka wore her hair pulled back into a tight bun with not a hair out of place while Mikoto let her straight hair flow freely down her back with strands falling into her eyes. Shizuka’s eyes were hard and distant while Mikoto’s were… well he didn’t exactly know, since she had yet to meet his gaze.

He shook his head to be rid of his wandering thoughts. Why am I even thinking about something like that? I must be more tired than I thought. That redheaded demon really did a number on me.

One thing that bothered him was the fact that he didn’t know much about his new teammate. It was strange considering that as the future leader of the clan, he was expected to know everyone within the clan, but he found he knew absolutely nothing about her. He never even heard of anyone by the name of Mikoto in the clan. He figured he would have to find out himself by asking her.

“There’s an inn over there,” Mikoto announced, breaking Fugaku out of his thoughts. He turned his head in the direction she was pointing, to see a quaint little inn off in the distance. It was small and cozy looking. The girl turned her head to look at him. “How many rooms should we get? One for each of us, two, or should we all share one?” She continued before he got the chance to reply. “We only have a set amount of money for the duration of the mission, and the mission can either be short-term or long-term. I think we should try to save money wherever we can. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Since we’re only going to be here for one night it would be better that we all share one room.” With that said, Mikoto made her way towards the inn with Fugaku silently trailing behind her.

Upon entering the inn, a soft chime filled the air. Sitting behind a wooden desk at the back of the room was an elegant looking old woman dressed in a fine red silk kimono with golden leaves winding around her pump frame with her hair pulled back into a bun with decorative golden chopsticks holding it in place.

“Hello dearies,” the old woman greeted, looking up from the book she was reading. “What’s a young couple like yourselves doing out here in our little fishing town?”

The two Uchiha sputtered. Mikoto’s pale cheeks turned a furious red that seemed to rival her best friend’s hair while a soft pink blush covered Fugaku tanned cheeks. The two snapped their heads to face each other before turning back to stare at the woman. Simultaneously they shouted, “We’re not a couple!”

The old woman giggled. She thought the two looked absolutely adorable together. The boy looked like the always-has-a-plan type while the girl looked like the go-with-the-flow type.

Fugaku, naturally, was the first one to recover. “We’re just passing through,” he stated in a bored tone after regaining his composure.

“Yeah,” Mikoto agreed. “We’re on an official mission, and we need a room for the night. It's us, an two others.” She smiled sweetly at the delicate looking woman. “We’re hoping to catch the first boat to Sun Country tomorrow morning. By any chance, would you know when the next ship departs?”

“Well... the first ship leaves at six and should take about twelve hours to reach Tenpi,” the woman replied. “I’ll get you two that room and four bed rolls sent up.” She flipped through the log that was pushed off to the side of the desk. “You will have room ten on the second floor.” She then handed them a set of keys and watched them walk up the stairs that would take them to the second floor.

Twenty minutes later, Minato and Kushina burst through the door of their room at the inn. Minato had seen the two Uchiha walk in, and from asking around, he found out that it was the only inn in the town.

“We’re back,” Kushina yelled as she threw the door open. Minato walked in after his redheaded girlfriend, carrying two large paper bags, one in each hand. “We got take out, ttebane! We were gonna go out to eat but the place was packed so we decided to just order to go!”

“What did you get,” Mikoto asked from where she was sitting at the table across from Fugaku, who silently sipped at his tea.

Minato watched as the older Uchiha swapped seats to sit beside the dark haired girl when he caught the glare of the Uzumaki, although his girlfriend’s glare worsened when he sat beside Mikoto. The blond teen set the bags down on the center of the table with a sigh. At least Kushina was restraining herself.

At five the next morning, the group of four found themselves packing up their belongings and took turns using the shower, with Minato taking the longest in the shower – the blond only getting out when the girls threatened to go in and drag him out.

They then found themselves boarding the ship ten minutes before it was set to depart. The ship was small and wouldn’t draw to much unwanted attention from any pirates. As soon as they were on the ship, they made their way below deck into the cabin they would be sharing for their trip to the Land of Sun.

Minato and Kushina argued over who would get the top bunk. There were two sets bunk beds within their small cabin placed opposite of each other. Mikoto had quickly claimed the bottom bunk on the left side of the room with Fugaku shrugging and climbing up to the bed above her while pulling out a scroll from his pack. Eventually Minato gave in to Kushina’s demands and took the bottom bunk.

Minato and Mikoto shared looks of exasperation. The two were situated on their beds watching the redheaded Jinchuriki and the dark haired Uchiha heir glare at each other from atop their beds.

The group had all agreed that it would be best to wait to discuss the mission details until they reached their destination witch was the capital of Sun Country where the Daimyo’s palace was located. They knew the purpose of their mission: impersonate the princess, and neutralize the threat before any harm could come to the girl. What they didn’t know was what it was that they were up against, and it would be pointless to make plans beforehand if they didn’t know the full situation.

The twelve hours on the ship passed in a blur, and before they knew it, they were running under the cover of the night to the Daimyo’s palace. When they reached the boarder of the capitol, they met with a merchant. After Fugaku had placed the man under a Genjutsu, the four hid within the large cart the man had been standing beside and luckily, for them – “I told you this was a good idea, dattebane!” “It was pure dumb luck!” – he took them directly to the palace where he delivered an assortment of alcoholic beverages. After sneaking through the palace halls, the four found themselves seated before the Daimyo in a secret room.


End file.
